About Me

Author of many self-published books, including several about Thailand and Chiang Rai, Joel Barlow lived in Bangkok 1964-65, attending 6th grade with the International School of Bangkok's only Thai teacher. He first visited ChiangRai in 1988, and moved there in 1998.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

An Immobile Mountain of Law

Ever wonder about the mountain of complexity law has become? That’s in no way about conspiracy, clearly, but certainly to the benefit of the few at the great expense of the many – and so a problem not being addressed, or to be expected solved soon. Why do we allow this? How can lawyer jokes be enough? Who wouldn’t hate being called for jury duty? Can we ever expect an intelligible tax code? These are big questions, important ones, which we’ve clearly been much too lazy, and self-satisfied, to do anything about. There’s a bigger, more important one though – about corporations having gained legal status as both juristic persons (juristic: a legalism indicative of capacity to appear at court with the same rights as a citizen – perhaps better, maybe, if you will, or would… Jurassic, as in scarily monstrous) and property. How does that make sense? Haven’t persons as property long been illegal, by amendment to the Constitution, even? Don’t we care about the problems this is causing our society, and indeed the world? Apparently not – perhaps due to so many of us seeing money as a sign of God’s favor. Or one could blame problems of campaign finance and lobbying, or perhaps even the greedy irresponsibility of stock-holders. The thing most clear is that it isn’t a matter of, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Our system broke down quite a while back, and now we’re going broke as a result (Soviet system breakdown redux, maybe).As I wrote in a blog, “The sky is falling.” Perhaps I should also cry, “Wolf!” – for all the good it’ll do. Nobody is willing to accept blame and try to do anything (anything positive, anyway). I did try, long ago, and got hurt – and so adopted an alternative strategy: run and hide. Go native. Drop out, learn to live off the grid, all that. I’m still working on it, despite knowing it won’t really work for me. Might work for my son, though…Clearly it’s best to accept that we must always try to continue to learn – but most don’t. They learn some, maybe, but they don’t try. And mistakes are piling up on us, and for way too many, divine intervention is the only answer (despite it being clear that, whatever God might or might not be, God mostly helps most those who help themselves). “Precedence” is the basis of English law – justice is not considered nearly as important. Law is for defense of property, which has somehow been given “rights”, and is now used to defend the rich and powerful even at the expense of civilization, our future, the planet, and anything which can be considered as a basis for morality (except material success, which somehow must be defended above all else). Law is now rigged to keep “winners” winning, and serves little other purpose, except to keep losers losing. Which is, of course, entirely degenerate – although one gains little to mention that. The legal system has become an extraordinarily complicated maze which no citizen can navigate without help from lawyers – 70% of whom live in the United States, (about 10% of them millionaires). More people in the USA suffer confinement than has been the case in any other society - America is not only punitive, but morally backward (the more modern, the less moral?) - it even seems to regard regression as progress, for no effort is being made to increase quality of life, let alone justice, or even health, really. Self-congratulations for being the “victor” seems quite adequate.